I think I saw a picture of libraries wrapping up their books in brown paper and putting vague hints on the paper, calling this a “blind book date.” At least, I’m pretty sure that was the inspiration behind this story. I may have just wanted to write about rain. Or a red umbrella. I probably should have recorded a “sparks” section. But this story is also kind of about how the library changes your world without you really realizing it. I love libraries. I love the convenience of the Internet, but it’s not the same as going to a library and smelling the yellowed pages and the high-traffic carpet and walking through the stacks, running your fingers down all the spines.